Johns Hopkins – Edward St. John Department of Real Estate Program Review

The real estate program reviews on the blog, like this one, are outdated. Programs continue to evolve and improve so static reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. I recommend you reach out to current students and alums to get the latest insights into the program. I also recommend that you check out my post on the true value of a graduate real estate program.

Here is an archive of the past reviews that I completed on the site prior to shifting the focus of the content:

Leonard Murphy is in his final semester as a master’s student at the Edward St. John Department of Real Estate at Johns Hopkins University. He was nice enough to take the time to answer some questions about his experience as a graduate student in real estate.

What was your background in real estate prior to the program?

I worked for a real estate management company for the two summers before my college graduation. Upon graduating in 1999, I worked in the accounting department for the same commercial real estate management company for one year. After a 4-year hiatus in which I worked as a writer and a paralegal, I started working for a commercial real estate research company in an analyst role, then transitioned into a management role. At the beginning of 2008, I went to work as a Federal Contractor as a Realty Specialist for the Farm Service Agency. This most recent experience gave me firsthand knowledge of the GSA’s principles and practices regarding how they handle their real property issues.

What other programs did you look at besides Johns Hopkins and why did you choose Johns Hopkins over the other programs?

I didn’t seriously consider any other programs. I had been researching the Hopkins program while still in college, and although the University of Maryland and Georgetown University have recently begun offering similar programs, neither can offer the track record that JHU has.

Are the professors primarily full-time or part-time? Do the part-time professors make themselves accessible outside the classroom?

They are all part-time. They all make themselves very accessible outside the classroom.

Do you notice a variation of the material taught by different professors of the same course?

Yes, but I can only rely on the perceptions of my classmates who have taken the same courses under different teachers.

What kind of opportunities does the program provide to students outside the classroom?
Networking events and forums in which active board members lead the discussions. We are also granted access to a lot of Urban Land Institute events.

How is the programs career counseling? Do they actively help students find summer internships and full-time positions? How willing are alumni in assisting current students?
The career counseling department needs to beef up their efforts. They offer a job board and a list of recruiters, but we need to have more “job fair” type events to grant students direct access to potential employers.
All of the alumni I have met are very willing to assist current or recently graduated students. However, in this market, everyone is in a difficult situation.

What are your future aspirations in real estate and how has this program helped you to get closer to your goals?
I plan on starting my own investment and development firm. I think the program has been exceptional in terms of giving me the necessary tools to accomplish my goals. I believe this is mostly due to the fact that the teachers are professionals in the real estate industry, not simply professors espousing how the markets “should” work.

Is there anything else about the program you think people should know?
The main reason I picked the JHU Real Estate program was the fact that it has been around for nearly 20 years, and if one were to do a search of commercial real estate firms in the Washington DC MSA, more than likely they would find several individuals working with those firms who have gone through the program.

Rate the various aspects of the program from 1-10, 10 being the best:
Professors: 8
Curriculum: 9
Career Counseling: 3
Outside Opportunities: 7
Overall Rating: 8

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This is my personal blog where I share tips on starting your real estate career, challenges of doing your first deal, and advice on passive real estate investing. For work, I run acquisitions for Atlas Real Estate Partners, a private investment firm based in NYC where I was the first hire.

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